The 2007 CBS Drama Pilots

A few weeks back I posted my hopes and predictions for the new fall TV lineups from the "big four" networks. I did a few brief write-ups on new pilots I've read about and would like to see on the schedules. Thing is, it was all wishful thinking. I have a better chance of being struck by lightning (twice and in the same place) than being even close to accurate.

Having said that, this week I'm going to go through all the drama pilots in production one by one. Yesterday was ABC. Today brings CBS.

My source for pilot info is, as ever, the all-powerful futon critic. I'm not going re-hash information that's already available. This is just me talking about what pilots I like the premises/casts/producers of so that when they're picked up I can say "I told you so" or when they're dropped I can eat my words. Words are yummy anyway.

There are 10 CBS drama pilots this year. For each pilot, you got your pitch, your slant, your faces, and your puppetmasters. Try to ignore the weather forecasts that inexplicably accompany each potential show. I don't really know what they mean.

Babylon Fields
The Pitch
Mom and daughter conspire to kill abusive, alcoholic dad.
The Slant
He comes back to life.
The Faces
Amber Tamblyn and Kathy Baker topline the show so that's not half bad. (I watched the first season of "Joan Of Arcadia.") Jamey Sheridan, Ray Stevenson and Leila Arcieri are also listed as cast members.
The Puppetmasters
I've never heard of Gerald Cuesta or Michael Atkinson, but they are the creators and exec producers of the pilot. Michael Cuesta is directing.
The Forecast
Sunny A bunch of dead people get resurrected and try to resume their old lives. The concept sounds like a riot. And completely out of character for CBS. But then I love "Jericho" so they're heading in the right direction. Whether the net believes it's worthy of their schedule — how would I know?

Demons
The Pitch
An ex-Jesuit priest is also a psychologist.
The Slant
...And an exorcist.
The Faces
Harold Perrineau and Ron Eldard are the only names I recognize. And I'm a fan of both. Well, I was. I'm a little annoyed with Perrineau's decision not to return to "Lost." His character had such an interesting story. Way to be a little girl about it, Harry.
The Puppetmasters
You'll never believe who created this series. Barbara Hall! Yes, the person who last wrote about a teenage girl who sees God. Go figure. But that being said, I'm fascinated. Mick Jackson is listed as the director.
The Forecast
Overcast I would love to see a show on television with the tone a subject like exorcisms would bring. Plus I love Harold Perrineau and Ron Eldard. But seriously, it's not going to happen. No way CBS schedules it. Ever.

Law Dogs
The Pitch
We follow the lives and cases of a team of lawyers.
The Slant
Your guess is as good as mine. Whatever. I don't care.
The Faces
The cast features Janeane Garofalo, Josh Cooke and Mark-Paul Gosselaar so I'm intrigued but only barely.
The Puppetmasters
Barry Schindel is the creator and also an EP on "NUMB3RS." Which brings me to Tony and Ridley Scott. They're executive producers as well. Adam Bernstein is directing.
The Forecast
Severe Thunderstorms I said I don't care. What more do you want? CBS... Stop making procedurals!!!

Los Duques
The Pitch
We follow a multigenerational Latin American family in the rum business.
The Slant
CBS hasn't released a lot of details, I guess. I just don't know.
The Faces
Hector Elizondo, Jimmy Smits ("The West Wing") and Nestor Carbonell ("Lost") seem to jump out at me right away. So we'll see. But I don't know.
The Puppetmasters
Smits is an EP but I don't know anyone else. Cynthia Cidre is the creator and Christian Duguay the director.
The Forecast
Rainy I mean I don't know what is supposed to make this show interesting, so I can't really say whether it should be on the air. But I wouldn't count on it.

The Man
The Pitch
An undercover LAPD cop spends his nights running sting operations.
The Slant
He spends his days raising his three adopted kids.
The Faces
LL Cool J plays "The Man" a.k.a. Manny Baxter. But why wouldn't he play an undercover cop? We'll also get to see Mia Maestro (Syd's long lost sis on "Alias") and Melinda Clarke (Julie from "The O.C."). So it could be a pretty decent project.
The Puppetmasters
Anthony Zuiker made something that doesn't start with CSI! Whaaa?! Yes, for real. The director is Simon West, who I know from his work on "Keen Eddie."
The Forecast
Overcast I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd like to see this pilot. It sounds like it could be pretty good. Zuiker can weave a web of a tale and Simon West did, after all, work on "Keen Eddie" which I absolutely loved.

Protect & Serve
The Pitch
L.A. cops deal with the stress of life on and off the job...
The Slant
...Because they live in the 'burbs. Or something.
The Faces
Steve Harris ("The Practice"), Monica Potter ("Boston Legal"), Eric Balfour (Milo on "24"), and Dean Cain seem to be at the top of the list. So that's a pretty awesome cast.
The Puppetmasters
Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin are listed as the creators but I've never heard of them. What concerns me is that Gary Scott Thompson is an EP and because of him, I was completely disappointed by "Las Vegas" back when it premiered a few years ago. I also don't know the director, listed as Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy I put this show on my fall schedule (well, as a midseason series), but I'm not sure I should have. On the other hand, it does seem to have the sort of feel the networks generally tend to go with when choosing new shows.

Skip Tracer
The Pitch
It's called a drama about a charming rogue with a heart of gold.
The Slant
But he's got a knack for finding missing people in L.A.
The Faces
Stephen Dorff plays the title character. Diedrich Bader ("The Drew Carey Show") and Beverly D'Angelo are involved.
The Puppetmasters
Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green are the creators and I've never heard of them. I've also never heard of Stephen Frears, who is the director.
The Forecast
Rainy You'll notice I didn't really have any comments to make in the other sections. I still don't. Are we done yet?

Swingtown
The Pitch
It's a period drama set in the 1970s that follows a group of married couples.
The Slant
Ah, but they're swingers, you see.
The Faces
Grant Show, Molly Parker ("Deadwood"), Josh Hopkins, Miriam Shor, and Lana Parrilla are the only people that I know on the cast. And I loved Parker in "Deadwood." But then I just loved "Deadwood."
The Puppetmasters
Mike Kelley is the creator. He was a producer on "Jericho" and "The O.C." so I have faith. Alan Poul is directing and you know him from "Six Feet Under." (Getting all the HBO folk involved over at The Eye.)
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy I'm intrigued by both the cast and producers even if I can't quite put my finger on why I don't think the premise has a big future. If I were to go back to my CBS schedule prediction and replace "Protect & Serve," I'd probably use this pilot in its place.

Twilight
The Pitch
It's about a private investigator who struggles with the repercussions of immortality.
The Slant
Oh, he's a vampire, that's why.
The Faces
Rade Sherbedgia (the evil Russian on "24") is apparently our vampire lead. Shannon Lucio ("The O.C.") also figures in somehow.
The Puppetmasters
Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson wrote the pilot and like most everyone else on this list — never heard of them. Rod Holcomb is directing and I actually do know of him.
The Forecast
Partly Cloudy It's on my schedule for midseason. It sounds like a pretty cool premise (read: unique) so I doubt it has a real chance. Plus Sherbedgia as a series lead would be awesome. I'm all for it. Even though I don't know anything about the writers.

Viva Laughlin!
The Pitch
A family tries to run a casino in Laughlin, Nevada.
The Slant
The title has an exclamation point because it's a musical!
The Faces
Hugh Jackman makes an appearance in the pilot but Lloyd Owen is the lead. Like I said, I've always like Brits on American TV shows. The cast features some other impressive names, such as DB Woodside ("24"), Carter Jenkins ("Surface") and Madchen Amick (ha, she was on "Joey").
The Puppetmasters
Jackman is also an EP and that will be his primary post on this series. (Come on, he is a movie star. Can't be seen on a weekly TV series.) Peter Bowker created the U.K. version and Bob Lowry has converted it for Yank telly. Gabriele Muccino directs but has mostly Italian work under his belt.
The Forecast
Sunny Aside from the fact that I think it would be cool to see a musical series on TV, Hugh Jackman makes this show an easy sell to advertisers and viewers alike. I'm not sure I can envision a CBS schedule without it.

Whew! Is that all? I plan on posting CBS's comedies a week from today. So be sure to check back then for that.

Tomorrow is FOX and that'll do it for the week. Next week is the comedies and then the week after that, the real network schedules get announced. And you're crazy if you think I won't be posting them the very second they're made available online.

The information here is accurate only insofar as the futon critic has accurate information. As of this writing, this is what I know. And I only know what they publish. Now get the whole story there.